There’s something undeniably comforting about going to see a play you know will reliably make you LOL. For long-time fans of Michelle Law, remaining loyal to her work is easy.
That’s because Law knows how to give audiences a good time. If you think the theatre is only for those who prefer ‘high culture’ and obscure, impenetrable art, then clearly, you haven’t seen a Michelle Law play.
Her latest, Miss Peony, continues to explore issues of intergenerational migrant conflict, Asian diaspora and feminist themes. This time, the story is set within the low stakes (but high drama!) context of a beauty pageant.
Miss Peony contestants battle it out to show the world which of them can best embody “Chinese femininity”. For Lily, a 27-year old daughter of migrants from Hong Kong, it’s the last thing she wants to compete in.
But Lily’s grandmother, Adeline, has a different plan for her. Like Law’s previous play Top Coat (also directed by Courtney Stewart for the Sydney Theatre Company in 2022) “Miss Peony” has dashes of the supernatural.
Lily’s grandmother (played beautifully by Gabrielle Chan) dies in the opening scene, but then appears as a ghost in the liminal space between life and death — all she needs to step into the afterlife is for Lily (an impressive last minute stand-in by Stephanie Jack – though the role is usually performed by Michelle Law) to compete in the competition for which she herself was a reigning champion decades ago.
The two didn’t exactly get along when Adeline was alive. Now, the spiritual realm collides with the real world, but the two can actually understand each other’s languages in this strange space.
It’s incredible to see (and hear) actors speaking on stage in two different languages. Chan holds her Cantonese for the entire play, while our heroine speaks back to her in English— the translations appear on a screen above the stage. This is perhaps the first time I have seen a truly bilingual play — and it is executed with grace, humility and humour.
The supporting cast of hilarious characters includes a minion-obsessed academic named Joy (played by Shirong Wu), a business-orientated go-getter called Marcy (played by another stand-in, Deborah Faye Lee) and a Western-Sydney ABC (Australian Born Chinese), Sabrina — played immaculately by Mabel Li. All of them speak bilingually through the play too – a wonderful gesture of the script.
Rounding out the play is Charles Wu’s Zhen Hua — the host of the pageant and only male cast— which plays out on stage, allowing audiences to partake in the ridiculous extravagance of the beauty pageant. Law leans on the same tenor of observational humour she is known for in her previous plays; we see our characters make snide takes on white culture from the Chinese perspective. Our young heroine is teased about her romantic preferences for white skater boys.
Sitting in the audience was interesting, noticing the stuff white people laughed at compared to the Asian folks — we laughed at different things!
For instance, a passing comment about the sexuality of the late, great actor, Leslie Cheung got only two laughs (me and someone on the other side of the room) because, perhaps ,only people who watch Hong Kong cinema are familiar with Cheung.
Nevertheless, there are the usual aspects that make Law’s work worth returning to — great music (Canto pop in this case), great dance sequences, and characters who are allowed equal parts vulnerability and “don’t-give-a-shit”ness.
That’s the fantastic thing about Law’s plays. They never pretend to be anything other than what they are. If you’re looking for a play that will genuinely leave you feeling joyful and effervescent, book a seat to Miss Peony. Now playing at Belvoir until 29 July.